WHO Now Promotes Video Gaming After Declaring It A ‘Mental Disorder’ In 2019

WHO Now Promotes Video Gaming After Declaring It A ‘Mental Disorder’ In 2019

In an interesting twist, the World Health Organization (WHO) has supported an initiative that encourages video gaming amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Game makers, such as Activision Blizzard and Riot Games, started an initiative called #PlayApartTogether in a bid to push people to entertain themselves through gaming during this health crisis -- thereby promoting social distancing.

WHO supported the campaign, especially with the increasing number of coronavirus victims all over the globe.

“We’re at a crucial moment in defining outcomes of this pandemic. Games industry companies have a global audience - we encourage all to #PlayApartTogether. More physical distancing + other measures will help to flatten the curve + save lives,” Ray Chambers, WHO ambassador for global strategy, said in a tweet.

On the other hand, Bobby Kotick – CEO of Activision Blizzard who is behind the popular first-person shooter game Call of Duty – highlighted that video gaming is the “perfect platform” to stay connected amid the coronavirus-forced quarantine and lockdown (per Business Wire).

Other game developers echoed the same sentiment, with Riot Games CEO Nicolo Laurent even pointing out that “physical distancing shouldn’t mean social isolation.” For what it’s worth, Riot Games is the developer behind popular multiplayer online strategy game League of Legends.

“Let’s stay physically apart – and take other public health steps such as hand hygiene – to help flatten the curve and #PlayApartTogether to help power through this crisis. For Rioters, playing games is more than just a game; it’s a meaningful life pursuit. And now, for the billions of players around the world, playing games could help the pursuit of saving lives. Let’s beat this COVID-19 boss battle together,” Laurent furthered.

There are already more 720,000 cases of coronavirus all over the world, affecting 177 countries. The USA now has the most number of cases, recording 142,000 coronavirus-positive patients with at least 2,400 deaths as of this time of writing.

Governments and health officials are encouraging people to stay at home, practice social distancing and observe proper hygiene (especially washing hands) during this health crisis in order to prevent the spread of the virus.

With more and more people staying at home, video gaming has been at an all-time high – with Steam even recently recording its most number of users in history and Nintendo Switch selling out both online and in physical stores.

However, what makes the WHO approval surprising was the fact they declared video game addiction as an official mental disorder last year.

Regardless of the controversial support, one this is clear: WHO and the whole gaming industry want to put a stop to the pandemic sweeping across the globe.